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Post by Justice on Oct 1, 2016 20:33:27 GMT -5
 Loner - Queen - 17 Moons It was early, not quite full light, and Moonfeather was preparing to go hunting. Ever since she'd come to this place she'd been on edge and unable to eat. She was so tired she could barely think, but the kits had needed her more. She'd stayed strong for them, stayed awake most of the time and slept fitfully when she couldn't, but still her memory played over the day they'd come here. After the encounter with the large tom that called himself 'Lionstar' they'd been coerced into coming here. She'd been on high alert as they walked into the nest of cats, ears lain flat to her skull, body close to the ground, and fur fluffed out everywhere. Her kits had been terrified of all the new faces and kits, all the new scents. Mostly they'd reacted to her, she knew, and that was for the best. It wasn't safe here, not yet anyway. She'd decide more once the cold season had passed and the kits were stronger. For now this was better than their hollow tree.
So, before the sun had risen, she'd moved from the nest they'd shown her to and hid each kit in a place she'd find them but hopefully these clan cats would not. That done she'd gone to make sure she hadn't left a trail to them then prepared to leave. Except she was stopped by this massive tom that she didn't know and didn't want to know. And so the argument had begun, and gotten steadily louder as her stomach rumbled and her need to get back to her kits grew.
“A queen should stay in the nursery, where its safe! What in the name of StarClan possessed you to leave the nursery?”
“I have to provide for my kits. Now get out of my way!” She hissed the words, body tense and ready to fight even though the tom probably outweighed her by more than a little. He was older, stronger, and had other cats to come to his aide if somehow she did manage to get him down and continue on her way.
“The clan provides for queens and kits. You don't have to go hunting.” He was trying to sound reasonable, but all he sounded was annoyed. And like he had this opinion that he knew everything and she should listen. She hated cats like that.
“Get. Out. Of. My. Way.” She took a swipe at him and then he pinned her to the ground and she just lost it, yowling and clawing and fighting to just get up, to just get away from him. He wasn't even hurting her, and she knew this, but she'd been the one responsible for so long, and from such a young age, she couldn't stand it.
Word Count: 467 Tags: Fawn |
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Post by Fawn on Oct 1, 2016 21:14:51 GMT -5
LIONSTAR leader of treeclan Blinded by the light of a new sun The golden tom's peace was disturbed, not just by the sounds of hissing and spitting almost right outside his den (the Ancient Stump stood sentinel near the enormous fallen tree that acted as TreeClan's camp), but by the presence of two small bodies pressing against his flank for warmth, kitscent filling the den. Lionstar stirred, glancing down at the sleeping kits, his whiskers twitching in bewilderment and kindness both. These are Moonfeather's! Half expecting to see the mother pacing frantically outside his den looking for them, he gingerly rose to all fours, shaking the moss out of his long, golden pelt and tiptoeing around the sleeping kits.
He was half-right, he did find a rather panic-stricken Moonfeather--but not out of the loss of her kits, but instead due to Thornstrike pinning her down. Surprised, Lionstar sprang over to meet them. "What's going on?" Thornstrike was a warrior he trusted well, the tom was reasonable and level-headed. There must've been a reason for all of this.
Letting the she-cat go, Thornstrike took a step back, addressing his leader.
"She keeps trying to leave camp to go hunting. I told her that the Clan will provide for her and her kits, but she's insisting on going."
Lionstar shook his head. "So let her pass. She's not a prisoner here. If she would feel better hunting for her kits, then she can." She may carry a Clan cat's name, but she isn't one. Moonfeather was quite young, barely a few moons shy of the apprentices' den, he was sure, but her life had been tough and her resolve even tougher.
Addressing the irritated queen, Lionstar spoke calmly, gesturing to the Ancient Stump with a flick of his tail. "Your kits are in my den, sleeping. Cloudpool can keep an eye on them, but I'd prefer they were in the nursery, where it's safest." The golden warrior paused for a moment in thought. "If you insist on hunting, then I will go with you." I don't want to explain to Redstar or Dimstar why a loner queen was found hunting on their territory, smelling of TreeClan.
That was a headache he didn't need. And he did not trust NightClan not to shred her as soon as she crossed their border.
Speaking of shredding... It was fortunate that Emberstorm had not witnessed this; Emberstorm wouldn't have appreciated Moonfeather attacking her mate, even with good reason. Or Firepaw, or Stonepaw, or Lightpaw. This could've gotten into a full blown argument that would've woken the whole camp. Take it to the world, gonna sing it like an anthem
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Post by Justice on Oct 1, 2016 21:56:26 GMT -5
Loner - Queen - 17 Moons “Why would anyone provide for us?” She told Lionstar once he made the large tom let her get up. She passed a paw against her pelt to smooth out her disheveled fur before being able to address anyone calmly again. “I don't understand what the fuss is all about. I've been hunting for us since my mate died.” Her expression was one of true confusion, of someone that didn't know why she was being prevented from doing something she'd done for so long. “When the kits were born my mate would hunt for us, but these cats don't know us and aren't responsible for us, so why would they have to hunt for us?”
But then the large tom that ruled told her that her precious kits were in his den. “They're where?” Her fur stood on end for a moment then settled. “That isn't where I left them.” Her gaze swept back and forth, not sure where his den was or if they were safe. “Who moved them there?” Or had they smelled the giant golden cat and gone to him themselves? He was impressively fluffy, which she knew her kits enjoyed. They liked soft things, but more they were used to burrowing up in the two-leg thing she'd carried them to the valley in, which was fairly soft. Which she'd given to one of the random 'warriors' to be rid of once she arrived in camp, at Lionstar's insistence. Good riddance to bad memories, and the thing had served its purpose.
The young queen settled herself and looked square at the tom. “If you'll show me where they are, I'll move them back to the nursery. I swear I didn't put them in your den, I don't even know where that is.” She could hear the sounds of disbelief around her, probably at her abrupt change in attitude. She was courteous, respectful even, though moments before she'd been a raging ball of pissed off queen.
Her head tipped at the male before her, ignoring most of the others. Him, at least, she had seen would keep to his word. At least he had so far. “Why would you go with me?”
Word Count: 364 Tags: Fawn |
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Post by Fawn on Oct 1, 2016 22:17:47 GMT -5
LIONSTAR leader of treeclan Blinded by the light of a new sun "It's part of our Code, the Warrior Code. Elders, kits and queens are all taken care of by the Clan." His ears twitched in sympathy at the mention of her mate passing. "With kits to nurse, it seems and unnecessary burden on mothers to expect them to hunt for themselves and their litter, regardless of whether her mate is alive, dead or unknown. That you are a loner does not change how my Clan views you." He meant no disrespect, speaking calmly as the rest of the Clan dispersed back to their duties, the golden tom approaching the Ancient Stump where he slept. "You have young kits, and you've made a long journey." Lionstar smiled a bit, ducking his head into the entrance to show her where Fawnkit and Amberkit were still curled up. He spoke in a warm whisper, gazing at them. "We're simply trying to be hospitable."
"As for your last question, you are new here. There are places that loners would not be welcome. You have my permission to hunt within TreeClan's borders, but it's easy to pass the scent markers into NightClan or LightningClan if you don't know where they are. The other Clans can be... unfriendly."
Though he wanted to lean in and gently pick up one of the kits to help her carry them, her brief spat with Thornstrike was still fresh on his mind; Moonfeather clearly did not like having her freedom limited--even if it was meant to be a show of respect and hospitality from a Clan as unused to loners as she was unused to them.
He was a little taken aback by her change in attitude, but, ultimately, Lionstar felt it was a good thing. She wasn't distressed, just confused and perhaps a little defensive. That was to be expected; it had only been a few days since they'd invited her to stay with the Clan. It would take a while before she got used to Clan ways and trusted him. Though TreeClan would not appreciate an extra three mouths to feed, he knew any protests they had against the idea would be short-lived.
They lived by a code of honor, and he would see to it that they respected it. Whether that meant a difficult leafbare going forward or not. Take it to the world, gonna sing it like an anthem
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Post by Justice on Oct 1, 2016 22:48:02 GMT -5
Loner - Queen - 17 Moons
"Bramblebrush said something about this 'Code' of yours, but I didn't believe it really existed.” She spoke her mate's name with sorrow in her tone, her voice coming out small and sad. She tipped her head to look at the male next to her, considering him and his words. “I don't want to leave them, but it has been necessary for so long that I...” She felt foolish, like a young kit again herself, and didn't even realize that for these cats, she was still only just out of apprentice age. “My paws do hurt.” She told him as she looked in on her kits and their peaceful slumber. Little balls of gray fur, each one too small for being over a moon old. It worried her, how small they still were. “They deserve better than the life I have given them so far. We've been on the move since they still had their eyes closed. I didn't have a safe home to keep them in, and hunting had to happen or they would have starved.”
Her gaze went far away, not realizing what she was saying. She was exhausted, her body showing the ware even days later from too much travel and not enough sleep, from the stress she was still under. “I want them to be safe. I want me to be safe.” She felt the burning in her throat and she coughed to clear it. “Lionstar?” She looked at him finally, her large green eyes pleading with him to understand. “Are we safe here, my kits and I?” Moonfeather kept her gaze on him, taking a breath. “Its been so long that I've forgotten what safe feels like, so please forgive me for not knowing how to deal with your warriors. Or anyone else.”
She leaned into his den to lick first one and then another kit, nuzzling against them as best she could without going into his den. They were sound asleep, curled up together to stay warm. The cold would have probably killed them, and that broke her heart to think of. “You are very kind, to bring us into your home. We must be a burden, and I don't understand why you helped us. I don't understand this 'Code' of yours, but I almost wish I did. Seems a better way to do things.” She wanted, so very badly, to trust in someone again, but she had learned her lesson well. When she trusted blindly bad things happened. Cats she trusted, cats she cared about, they always ended up dying.
Something made her pause in her reach for one of her kits, something that she had to be able to speak to do. “If a kit or a cat gets sick, what do you do?” Then she gathered one kit into her mouth and motioned with a paw for him to get the other. It was faster to get them back this way, and though she didn't want to let someone else care for her kit even this much, it was practical. Besides, he hadn't done her wrong thus far.
Word Count: 516 Tags: Fawn |
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Post by Fawn on Oct 1, 2016 23:07:38 GMT -5
LIONSTAR leader of treeclan Blinded by the light of a new sun They began moving the kits before he could fully answer her, so he waited until they stepped back inside the hollowed out den, and he guided her to the sweet-smelling milk-scented nursery in the very back of the camp, safer than the dens near the entrance. Gingerly setting down the sleeping kitten into the nest that still carried Moonfeather's scents (it surprised him none that the queens would have made her a nest), he beckoned Moonfeather outside to speak without disturbing the other napping queens and sleeping kits.
"I promise on my life, that you and your kits have nothing to fear from my Clan. I don't know if you would ever consider raising your kits as Clan cats or becoming one yourself," he paused to give her time to blatantly refuse, if the idea seemed far too overwhelming for the queen to even consider, then continued. "But it is a better life than that of a loner's. I respect those who choose to walk a loner's path, and I am considerably biased, but to be part of a Clan is to know that you will always be taken care of. And it means taking care of others in return."
Lionstar purred with pride, listening to the bustle of Clan life all around them; it was still very early, and there was a kind of peacefulness mixed with activity, while his warriors either slept off the Dawn patrol or put together a hunting party to keep the fresh kill pile well-stocked while the weather was holding. They were strong not just because they were many, but they were strong because they were resolved to help one another; their greatest gift was their compassion and sympathy and kinship towards each other.
Gesturing with his tail to the medicine cat's den, he trusted she could scent the assortment of herbs in Bluejay's den that increased in strength with each paw-step that carried them closer. "We have a medicine cat, a healer who looks after any cat that gets ill or needs help. Her name is Bluejay, I think you'd like her. She'd be more than happy to take a look at you or your kits if you need anything." Lionstar smiled fondly in the medicine cat's direction, though a touch of sadness was in his eyes briefly as he faintly detected Littletimber's scent. The odd little tom had been a good medicine cat; Bluejay was just as good and could only get better, but it was always... tough, to lose a Clanmate. Especially one who had done so much good for TreeClan over his moons of service.
Take it to the world, gonna sing it like an anthem
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Post by Justice on Oct 1, 2016 23:26:41 GMT -5
Loner - Queen - 17 Moons
Once they had situated the kittens Moonfeather nuzzled each one again, purring softly against their tiny bodies before following Lionstar outside the nursery to continue their conversation. “I didn't choose the path of a loner.” She told him, her tone flat but not hostile. She didn't elaborate on her past, didn't trust him enough to tell him more. Just for him to know that she wasn't really interested in being a loner. “Clan life...I don't know yet. I want to wait and see, until its warm again. New-leaf at least, when the kits are bigger and more stable. I don't know what this life would hold for me, or even if I have any skills of value to offer the clan. I've thought only of myself and my kits for so long, and who wants to teach a grown she-cat how things could be?”
His words had reached her and her voice hitched just a little at how he described what it would be life. To be safe, to be taken care of, to be part of something more than just she and her kits. “I had that once.”
The subject of helping cats, of healing them, was a welcome change. Her mind and body were in overload, too much going on in too short a time. She still hadn't adjusted from the constant travel. “A healer?” Pain splintered behind her eyes and through her chest, pain of the loss she'd suffered when there were cats in the world that could have helped. “We've never had that. My mate said there were herbs that could...” She cut herself off, hissing lowly though not at the big tom next to her. “I wish we'd moved here as a family. He would have thrived, he wanted to be a Clan cat so badly. It was all he spoke of, of the Code and the Clan and what it could be like. And I thought him starry eyed and a little silly. But he was right.”
That the medicine cat was a she-cat made her feel a little better as well. She-cats were easier to deal with, closer to her size and less likely to be hostile. “Bluejay. I'll remember that. We've come a long way, and none of us has ever been looked over.” And her paws were still hurting her, making hunter far harder for how much she had to push out that pain to concentrate on the task at hand. “I am willing to try this clan life thing, but please don't press me.”
Word Count: 424 Tags: Fawn |
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Post by Fawn on Oct 2, 2016 13:55:17 GMT -5
LIONSTAR leader of treeclan Blinded by the light of a new sun "Bramblebrush sounds like an honorable cat. I've accepted loners into the Clan before," Lionstar found Zephyrfang in the throng of cats, watching the tawny warrior nuzzle and fuss over his mate. "It takes some adjusting, but if you truly have the heart and the loyalty to be a TreeClan cat, then you can thrive here."
StarClan, she looks exhausted. "You look worn out, Moonfeather." Lionstar briefly left her side to go to the fresh kill pile, returning with a slightly ruffled finch that one of the apprentices must have brought back. "You can eat now, and hunt later. There will be plenty of prey for your kits when they wake up." That the little ones were still behaving like kits...
It was a relief to see. Lionstar's heart went out to them, sorry to see such young cats go through such a hard life. He didn't ask what had happened to Bramblebrush, or if this was her whole litter. That was her business and her business alone; Lionstar would not press her, neither to reveal what she had endured or to join the Clan officially. Though Moonfeather sounded skeptical of what kind of skills she could offer the Clan, Lionstar, who had trained well over five apprentices in his lifetime, knew that it was simply a matter of training. If Moonfeather was dedicated, then Lionstar could find a warrior to invest in the time to train her in the ways of the Code, in fighting and hunting properly. Though he suspected her hunting was well above what she implied; to travel so far and take care of two kits, while still managing to hunt was no small feat.
She's little more than an apprentice. It's not too late to start her on the path of a Clan cat. Lionstar did not get ahead of himself, however; merely acknowledged that there were options for her, if she chose them.
"You can stay with us until Newleaf. No reason to rush to a decision." Lionstar mewed thoughtfully, with a small gleam in his eye next. "Try not to shred my camp guards, though. Bluejay won't appreciate having to treat them so often." Take it to the world, gonna sing it like an anthem
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Post by Justice on Oct 2, 2016 15:03:43 GMT -5
Loner - Queen - 17 Moons
"He was. Honorable and absolutely devoted to his family and in the belief of the Code." A slight smile formed on her features, a sad one. "He'd have had no trouble here, loner or not." She looked back to the golden tom, looking suddenly thoughtful at his words. "I want to believe what you tell me, Lionstar, but only a fool trusts blindly without knowing the cats around them. I've come too far to be a fool." Her devotion to something could hardly be questioned. After all, look how far she'd come in order to provide for her kits. Not that anyone really knew how far it was, but they would. Someday she'd tell Lionstar, most likely.
His next words earned him a lopsided, exhausted smile. "Being a mother is hard work, and I'm still nursing them." He'd brought her food from their prey pile, from the resources needed to feed the Clan. Her eyes widened and she looked from his offering to him and back again several times, with no idea what to say.
Instead she turned completely around so that she was facing him instead of walking next to him and butted her head against his shoulder, her slender frame shaking. "You really do mean what you say." It had been so long since anyone was really who and what they said they were. Lionstar was special, but then perhaps that was why he was leader. "Thank you. Thank you."
Her ears laid flat to her skull as she fought the urge to simply break down. He was on the nose with his observations. She was tired, hungry, and just wanted to curl up with her kits and feel safe. Was that so much to ask for? The bird he'd offered would at least settle her stomach enough to sleep, and maybe if she were lucky it would be for more than an hour or two. It took her long moments to regain her composure, and then she backed away from the tom and took his offering. She left it sitting by her paws, at least until she finished her conversation.
"I'll eat this back at the nursery, keep the feathers. The kits will enjoy playing with them." She ducked her head a little. "I hope they weren't any trouble, coming into your den like that." Her ears perked back up again and swiveled, angling towards the nursery as she heard the sounds of her kits mewling for attention. They weren't hungry yet, she knew, just wondering where she was. But they knew their mother hunted, so after a moment they quieted. Still, she'd go sleep with them shortly.
She snorted at his comment about shredding his guards. "I am more likely the one to be shredded. Your guards are, some of them, twice my size and strength. Though I might find something prickly and leave it in that one's den." Referring to Thornstrike. She wouldn't really, but it made her feel better.
Word Count: 499 Tags: Fawn |
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Post by Fawn on Oct 3, 2016 14:17:22 GMT -5
LIONSTAR leader of treeclan Blinded by the light of a new sun Her actions warmed his pelt like the greenleaf sun, realizing she was beginning to trust him. Lionstar strove to always be a truthful cat; when you were the leader of an entire Clan, it went without saying that honesty and respect and trust between himself and his Clanmates went a long way. He understood the delicate balance between telling a white lie for the safety of others, and maintaining his personal code of honesty, but right now he did not have to worry about that.
Moonfeather deserved the truth. She also deserved rest, and safety.
With a chuckling purr, Lionstar replied. "No trouble. They surprised me, but they wouldn't be the first kits that tried to sneak into my den." The golden tom's amber eyes gleamed. "Just the first successful ones, really." In a gesture meant to be companionable, Lionstar touched her shoulder with his tail, nodding gently towards the nursery. "You're safe here. You can rest and take care of your family. If you need anything, look for Gorsetail, he's my deputy and he's also a good cat. Or you can find me directly."
Apart from hunting for the Clan, he was usually around the camp, supervising his warriors and looking for what needed to be done. Den preparations for leaf-fall (and, eventually, leafbare) would start soon.
Take it to the world, gonna sing it like an anthem
218 words | tagged Justice | notes =) Thread finished? |
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